Logo worries? – How to tell if your logo is just fine!

Your logo represents your business…

However, it is NOTresponsible for your business, and understanding this simple truth is something that might be difficult to get your head around…but bear with me and I’ll explain.

We are all told that we need a ‘GOOD LOGO’ in order to convert sales, and to a certain extent this is true.

I work on the basis that a logo should be SIMPLE, MEMORABLE, TIMELESS, VERSATILE and APPROPRIATE and use the following six criteria to check a logo works.

1. Is it Simple?

Apply the K.I.S.S principle to it!

K.I.S.S. stands for Keep It Stupidly Simple and it applies to just about all the great logos in the world.

2. Is it Memorable?

Simple shapes and bold colours make for a memorable logo.

Effective logos do not always have to have a symbol at all – many are just the name of the company, written in a distinctive way.

3. Is it Timeless?

Is your logo going to look out of date in 5, 10 or 20 years time?

It’s easy for a new design to look ‘really good’ to a designer and to the business owner who commissioned it because it reflects the fashion trends about at the time.

(Note: Designers are especially susceptible to this as ‘on trend’ wins design competitions but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will stand the test of time as your logo).

Finally, never use a photograph as part of your logo – NOTHING dates faster than a photograph!!!

4. Is it Versatile?

Remember that your logo appears in different places at different times and in different formats too.

Most businesses have two versions of their logo, a square version and a long version so that the most appropriate one can be used at all times given the space available.

Here is a check list for you:

Does it work very small?

Does it have a version that will fit comfortably inside a square?

Does it have a version that will fit comfortably in a thin horizontal rectangle (think Facebook header) ?

Can it be used in just one or two colours if necessary?

Can it be reproduced in black and white?

5. Is it Appropriate?

Think about the product or service you sell.

Now take a look at your logo and ask yourself whether the logo expresses the core feelings you want your business to evoke in your customers?

For instance, an accountancy firm’s logo would need a very different feel from a florist’s.

It’s also worth noting that great logos VERY RARELY show a picture of what they sell – especially if it is something that could go out of date or be re-designed in the future, such as a computer or clothing.

6. Is it Fit for Purpose?

Professional designers invariably design using VECTOR GRAPHIC programs (such as Illustrator orInkscape), which mean that the artwork can be scaled to any size without losing any quality – from a business card to a roadside poster, a Facebook header to a high definition cinema screen, the vector graphic will remain sharp at all sizes. See my blog ‘Are you feeling a bit pixelated? – Vector graphics vs. bitmaps’ for more info on this.

We live in a high-definition society and especially if you use social media to engage with your customers (if not why not????) you need to be using the sharpest images possible to spread your message.

Often a perfectly good logo, that ticks all of the previous six criteria fails on this last point because the version you have of the logo is pixelated, stretched, wooly, faded or simply too small for the job.

But I don’t want a new logo!

And why should you?

After all , if it ticks all the 6 boxes there is nothing wrong with it… and, of course, you have built your business around it… it may just need a bit of a facelift!

The good news is that it won’t mean getting a full redesign either.

If you already have a logo you like you can get it traced into a smooth edged vector format to get rid of all those annoying pixels…

…AND that means you can still use it

….AND your new sharp look will have a really positive effect on your customers perception of you and your business!